Norwich City ace admits there’ll be ‘no hiding’ if Canaries fail to meet ‘expectations’ this season

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Norwich City welcome Middlesbrough to Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon, with the Canaries looking for back-to-back victories in the Championship.

After an opening day defeat at home to Millwall, the Norfolk outfit started to look back to their best against Portsmouth at the weekend as they ran out 2-1 winners at Fratton Park.

Liam Manning has plans to take the Canaries back to the Premier League, with the team having last played in the top flight in 2022.

However, it is not just the head coach who has that ambition, and Kenny McLean has explained the position of the players on promotion as Norwich prepare for matchday three.

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Kenny McLean outlines Norwich City’s promotion ambitions

McLean made 34 appearances in the Championship for the Canaries last season, having played in every single league game for the club the year prior.

Nevertheless, he is keen to maintain the same standards as his teammates, and they are not shying away from the fact that promotion is an expectation. He said (via: Pink Un): “I don’t know what everybody else is saying out in the media and stuff, but I want to move leagues and I want to go up. I want to progress as a club, as a team, as an individual. That’s what everybody wants for themselves.

“The expectation’s there from the fans, the expectation’s there from everybody around the club, within the changing room. It’s up to us to meet that, because that’s where we want to be. There’s no hiding that fact.”

“We’ve got a facility at Colney that I’m sure everybody’s seen or heard of. That is Premier League standard, it’s already there. You’ve got everything to be looking after yourself: sports science team, medical staff, the best chefs. So it’s hard in a way not to look after yourself now!

“Everything on that side of things is Premier League to be honest. The staff, the facility and stuff. So it’s up to us to take the club there.”

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The Canaries need to find consistency

After two games, Norwich have three points, and performances have been good but not jaw-dropping yet, and there is plenty of room for improvement.

The Canaries still don’t look overly secure defensively, with Portsmouth having chances of their own to take the points on Saturday, with Vlad Kovacevic saving a Colby Bishop penalty, while John Swift cannoned a volley off the crossbar.

Nevertheless, Norwich found a different way to score goals at Fratton Park, finding the back of the net from a throw-in and free kick routine.

Consistency is the key to success in the Championship, and Manning will be keen to put that opening day home defeat behind him completely and get off the mark at Carrow Road this weekend as the Canaries continue their promotion hunt.